Is the California Aquarium collapse video real or fake? Viral footage debunked

A video showing a massive tank, reportedly in a California-based aquarium, collapsing is making rounds online. On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, several netizens, including Instagram user Ramon Rodriguez (@reyrey_pizza1), shared a clip of a large indoor tank bursting and flooding the surroundings in a mall.

A crowd standing underneath seemed to be completely crushed and swept away. An in-video caption read:

"California Aquarium Collapse. 50 People Died (crying emoji). OMG."

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ramon Rodriguez (@reyrey_pizza1)

Soon, the internet was flooded with queries about the details and whether the disaster was real. However, the viral footage is fake, and no such collapse occurred in California. Reputable news outlets from the state, like KTLA 5 and KCRA 3, confirmed the same. Further, the IG account (@reyrey_pizza1) is known to share similar AI-modified content, including car crashes.

Netizens believe the fake aquarium video took inspiration from the December 2022 AquaDom collapse in Berlin

As the post by IG user @reyrey_pizza1 went viral, one person, Stacie Lewis Limongelli (user @stacielewislimongelli), suggested the clip was AI generated.

She added that it might have been inspired by real-life events, writing:

"It’s definitely to AI. No big aquarium collapse ever happened in California. There was one in Berlin, but no humans died. Unfortunately 1500 fish did."

Stacie was referencing the December 2022 aquarium tank collapse in Berlin's AquaDom.

According to USA Today, AquaDom was a massive eighty-two-foot free-standing cylindrical tank situated in the lobby of a Radisson Collection Hotel in the DomAquarée business and leisure complex. It contained about 264,000 gallons of water and over 1,500 tropical fish. The tank held the Guinness World Record for being the largest cylindrical aquarium.

On December 16, 2022, a little before 6:00 a.m. (local time), the tank burst unexpectedly, sending a flood of water and debris onto the lobby and nearby street.

Per the outlet, authorities were forced to shut down a major road next to the building.

Citing tweets by the Berlin police, CNN reported that 100 firefighters had been deployed to the scene. Further, the incident left two people injured, but no casualties were reported.

Per the publication, the Radisson Hotel temporarily remained closed with all guests evacuated and relocated.

In a statement made to USA Today, Union Investment Real Estate, the company that owns AquaDom, confirmed that the tank was "completely destroyed."

It noted that the exact cause for the collapse was unclear. Moreover, a majority of the fish died. The tank's collapse also affected nearby businesses, including a Lindt shop and the DDR Museum.

Per AP News, in October 2023, prosecutors announced they had closed investigations on the collapse of AquaDom after an expert report failed to determine an exact reason.

According to Airport Region, the Radisson Collection Hotel eventually reopened in February 2025. It now features a twenty-four-meter vertical garden in place of the aquarium. The garden includes about 2,000 plants of 22 species.